Roses and Snowflakes, Darkness and Light
by astridelta
Summary: The story of four girls, broken bonds, and forgotten pasts. Rated T for now, may be rated M in the future for gore, violence, and coarse language.


The series, in case you are wondering, is called "RWBY", a Roosterteeth production by Monty Oum. I don't own any of the characters nor the story or company. If you would like to watch the series, go to "Roosterteeth . com" (remove the spaces of course) and look for the RWBY section of the page. :)

* * *

Life isn't as perfect as a fairytale.

Loneliness is what makes winter so cold.

Friends aren't always what they appear to be.

Sometimes, the largest smile can also hide the greatest pain.

The RWBY team is no exception to these rules.

A broken team, comprised of four girls who each have their own secrets, their own stories to tell. And between all of them, an unexpected bond that transcends perhaps even the boundaries of time and space...

* * *

_Crimson: Book One_

**_Dearly Departed_**

A cold, brisk wind blew across an open courtyard while yellow and brown leaves fluttered through the air. The sun lay low over the horizon, barely visible over the stone arches and tall bushes that surrounded the stone floor, yet its orange and red hues still reflected off of the clear, almost white pools of water that stretched along the lengths of the road that led into the yard. The scent of fall was heavy, smelling of apples and decaying plants that wafted through the air.

Wisps of clouds drifted lazily across the sky, darkened to shades of purple and blue and grey that stood out in stark contrast of the brilliant, radiating yellows, oranges, and reds of the evening light. One particular cloud that had been hovering over the massive yellow sun in the sky began to move, allowing a trickling ray of sunlight to pour through the barrier the cloud had formed, pouring onto the only form that stood in the clearing.

The figure stood still, in front of a massive stone statue, unmoving in the glory it depicted, of two heroes, a man and woman, standing triumphant on a boulder that crushed a large, bear-like creature with spikes on its back, its clawed paw reaching out from underneath the weight as if it were attempting to escape the inevitable doom it faced. Another wind picked up, stirring leaves on the ground into a small whirlwind, along with unusual red rose petals that laid at her feet, sheathed in black and red combat boots.

The red cloak on her back fluttered as well, flapping softly as the skirt that covered her thighs shifted. The black stockings on her legs were the only things protecting her skin from the wind. Her corset, laced in the front with red ribbon, met a long-sleeved black shirt that covered her arms. Her pale skin appeared almost blazingly white with the sunlight shining on it as her large silver eyes opened, staring up at the monument before her. Her shoulder-length hair, oddly black with red streaks dusted throughout, rustled around her face before the wind died down once more. A black belt around her waist shifted, and the white insignia buckled onto it laying on her hip lightly; a white rose flower, the top petals of which seemed to become fire, burning away at the bud.

"Ruby?"

Ruby Rose didn't turn at the voice that called her name from behind as she unfolded her arms from over her chest. Her blank features formed into a soft smile as footsteps that had been approaching her paused, feet from where she was standing. "We've been wondering where you've been..." Ruby glanced over her shoulder then. A tall, blonde girl with back-length hair stared at her with worried eyes the shade of dark lavender. The small cowlick on her head rustled slightly as she shifted her weight to her right foot, covered with a thick tan boot. The same went for her left leg, each shoe going a quarter of the way up her calf.

Two orange socks went past the boots edge, one on her right leg bundled around her knee while the one on her left went up to mid-thigh. A black bandana was tied around her shin where the boot on her left leg ended. She wore a tan jacket, the shoulders of which were puffed out. She wore a skirt of the same color with while cloth dangling off of it at the small of her back. Her cleavage was exposed slightly, covered by a yellow shirt beneath her jacket. Black, fingerless gloves covered her hands while yellow metal gauntlets were fastened over her wrists.

Yang Xiao-Long stared at her sister as Ruby turned back to face the statue once more. Ruby heard the girl behind her walk forward just a few steps before a hand was placed lightly on her shoulder. "Are you okay, sis?" Yang asked. Her voice, normally so confident and loud, was now soft and concerned. It was unusual. Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied lightly before shrugging the hand off and turning to her sister, smiling. "I just had to get some fresh air for a bit..."

However, Ruby could sense Yang's trepidation and fought to keep herself from laughing at the sheer fact that Yang, bright, outgoing _Yang_, was worried. The blonde sighed, and Ruby opened her eyes to see the older girl leaning back on her right leg and crossing her arms under her breasts. "Weiss had an idea to go downtown tonight," Yang said and brought her hand out from under her arms, making a small gesture towards Ruby.

"I think some team-bonding would be nice..." Ruby murmured in reply and glanced at her black and red feet. A pair of brown boots stepped in front of her own, entering her vision, as Yang once again placed her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself," Yang said quietly. Ruby's eyes widened slightly as she raised her head to look at her sister, lavender eyes staring thoughtfully into silver. "Whatever happened in the past happened. Enjoy the moment now and come join your teammates."

Then Yang stepped back and turned, heading for the cobblestone path that led out of the empty courtyard. She had only walked a few paces before her stride paused, as if she had forgotten something. The blonde looked over her shoulder and smiled at Ruby, her trademark confidence back in place. "C'mon team leader. We're waiting," the blonde called teasingly, winking before she turned back around and continued to walk.

Ruby shook her head slightly, smiling to herself. A warm feeling spread through her limbs, combating the crisp fall air, at the reminder that she did have a team; she had friends. She had Team RWBY. Her feet began to step forward, leading her away from the statue and from the memories she had been attempting to repress, towards her teammates.

.::~::.

The dim hallway stretched seemingly forever to Ruby as she slowly made her way to the dorm room at the extreme end of the path. The red carpet was seemingly brighter, when contrasted with the pure white walls and the white doors that lined them, along with the white ceiling. Blue ceiling lights, which were supposed to be on, were shut off for the night as Ruby stopped in front of the room she shared with her team.

A shuddering breath worked past her lips as she closed her eyes, placing her hand lightly on the doorknob. She could hear soft murmurs on the other side of the wood, alerting her that the others were inside. Twisting her wrist, the girl slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door inward before stepping inside of the room. Her gaze lifted and she took in the four beds in the room, one bed hoisted above another by ropes and sheets that formed a small canopy, while another "bunk bed" was supported by books on each of the four posts that formed the frame.

The only window in the room had its drapes open, allowing for the evening light to stream into the space and light up the posters and the pictures hung on the walls.

"Hey, look who decided to join us!"

Ruby glanced to her right and saw Yang standing at the edge of the bunk bed with the books, packing an unknown object into a small brown pack before slinging it over her shoulder. The crimson girl smiled and heard someone cough to her left. She turned and saw the other two girls of her team standing by a dresser.

The girl on Ruby's right was staring at her with careful, guarded ice-blue eyes. Her bangs draped over her eyes, the left one of which had a small scar that ran from her eyelid to under her eye, visible every time she blinked and barely noticeable otherwise. Her pure white hair was twisted into a bun on the right side of her skull before it draped into a ponytail that curled down to her waist, a small, tiara-like object stuck into the bun to keep the ponytail in place. A bright blue, almost white bolero jacket covered her shoulders, the sleeves flaring out at her wrists and small, tear-drop like designs decorating the ruffles where they ended at her hands.

The collar of the jacket was flipped upward, revealing the inside of the clothing to be a bright red, much like Ruby's cloak, while a small silver chain wrapped around her neck and held another tear-drop jewel that fell to the middle of her chest, over a small black tank top that ran under the sleeveless dress she wore under the jacket. A blue bow wrapped around her waist before the skirt of her dress flared out over the middle of her thighs. The almost whiteness of the dress faded to dark blue as the skirt ended, while designs that looked like shattering ice adorned the cloth before white fabric appeared under the skirt.

She was leaning back on one leg, both of which were sheathed in blue wedged boots, as she crossed arms over her chest and continued to stare Ruby down. Ruby's attention drifted to the girl on her left. The other girl's black, back-length hair was loose, flowing past her shoulders while a small black bow was tied at the top of her head. Her yellow-orange eyes stared back at Ruby, reminding her of a cat that was waiting to pounce. Purple eyeliner flared from the edges of her eyelids.

Black, low-heeled boots covered her legs, and stockings that started off black at her hips, but gradually faded to purple as they near her shoes. On the outside of her stockings, there were white, flower-like symbols that were on either outside of her thighs. There were black ribbons on either of her arms, with a black detached sleeve with a silver band on her left arm. A black buttoned vest with coattails, and a white, sleeveless undershirt that exposed part of her midriff with white shorts that appeared be connected to her shirt, although it was partly obscured by the vest to be sure. A detached, scarf-like collar wrapped around her neck. She, too, had her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Ruby.

"...Weiss," the girl sighed in greeting. "Blake..."

Weiss Schnee stepped forward, her ponytail swinging behind her back, while Blake Belladonna stayed back and watched as the other paused in front of Ruby. "Did Yang finally knock some sense into you?" Weiss said, almost scoldingly, and Ruby could feel the temperature in the room drop. "Heheh..." She chuckled nervously and scratched at the back of her head as Weiss paused in front of her, hands on her hips and leaning forward so she was inches from Ruby's face.

"You, um...wanted to go downtown..right?" Ruby said, hoping to deter Weiss from scolding her for staying out all day, again. Weiss blinked and stepped back. "Yes, I did," she said, her voice trailing off as she tapped at her chin with her index finger. "I heard there was a performance taking place at the theater tonight," Blake suggested as she appeared behind Weiss' back. "Boring," Yang yawned dramatically, and Ruby glanced over to see the blonde flop down on top of Blake's bed.

"I think it would be nice to go see a play," Weiss mused and turned from Ruby, who quickly let out a sigh of relief that the threat was now gone. Weiss could be so flighty sometimes..."I think Team CRDL* was going to eat dinner and go to the arcade," Ruby said. "We could go too...?" Ruby heard Weiss sigh. "I hardly want to hang around with those...scoundrels," she commented snidely. "Besides, arcade games are for children."

"Hey!" Yang interjected and sat up on the bed, "Games are actually fun!..." She leaned forward to lean her elbows on her thighs. "Maybe we could go to a dance club," she offered, then smirked. "I know of some pretty good ones." Ruby watched as her three teammates bickered amongst themselves and giggled. Then the arguing ceased when Blake stood and held her hand up, signaling she wished to speak without being interrupted.

"We obviously can't agree on something we want to do together," the girl began. "Weiss and I want to go to the theater, and Ruby and Yang want to go to the arcade. But...I think staying together as a team is a good thing." "Yeah!" Ruby agreed eagerly and noticed Blake blush, embarrassed. "So maybe we can just walk around until we find something we want to do." Ruby glanced at Yang, who stared at Weiss, who looked at Blake, who stared at Ruby.

"That sounds lovely," Weiss finally commented and stood from her sitting position on her bed. "Maybe it'll give you two some time to reconsider the play." Yang rolled her eyes as Ruby stepped out of Weiss' way so the girl could open the dorm room door. "I don't like those CRDL thugs either," Yang called and walked past Ruby, into the hallway. "But arcades are fun! And dance clubs!" Blake paused as she walked by Ruby, who was staring out of the bedroom window, at the towers of Beacon Academy, the school all four of them were attending.

"You coming?" Blake asked quietly, breaking Ruby of her musings. "Huh? Oh...yeah," Ruby said and grinned at Blake. The girl seemed to hesitate momentarily before smiling, albeit softly, back at her team leader before leaving the room. The crimson girl trailed behind, shutting the door softly behind herself and went to follow her teammates down the hall when she noticed Yang, leaning on the right wall and staring directly at her.

As Ruby approached, Yang pushed herself off of the wall and walked towards her. Then her expression softened. "Uncle Qrow would be proud of you, you know," Yang said softly. Ruby, surprised, looked up and nodded before Yang quickly hugged her. "C'mon, we gotta go convince these guys to go play some games," Yang said with a laugh and took Ruby's hand, dragging her down the hall.

But despite how happy her team was, Ruby couldn't shake the image of a woman in a white cloak and a grey gravestone hidden under a blanket of snow on a cliffside out of her mind...

* * *

And that's "Chapter" One! I've decided that the chapters will be "books" that go through each character respectively. :) reviews are much appreciated ^_^

*CRDL- pronounced "Cardinal"

*RWBY- pronounced "Ruby"


End file.
